This is Claudia Juana Rodríguez de Guevara, the interim president of El Salvador who will replace Bukele

2023-12-02 04:48:21

Claudia Juana Rodríguez de Guevara, an official unknown to Salvadorans, takes office this Friday as interim president, replacing Nayib Bukele, who will dedicate himself to seeking re-election after obtaining a license from Congress.

She was proposed by Bukele and confirmed by the Legislative Assembly to govern the next six months while he is campaigning for the February 4 elections, for which he is running as a favorite thanks to his “war” against gangs.

After being ratified by Congress on Thursday night by a vote of 67 to 11, she has not appeared in public. There has also been no swearing-in ceremony, but the approved decree establishes that she must govern from Friday the 1st.

42 years old, Rodríguez de Guevara has worked with Bukele for a decade, when he was mayor. He has “a bachelor’s degree in business administration” and an “accounting technician” title, according to a resume published on an official portal, but Salvadorans know practically nothing about her.

According to the same resume, he was financial manager of the Presidency and held similar positions in the mayors of Nuevo Cuscatlán (2012-2015) and San Salvador (2015-2018) when Bukele led those municipalities.

In December 2021, Bukele appointed her as president of the board of directors of the Municipal Works Directorate, in charge of the construction and maintenance of streets in the country’s municipalities.

During his leave, Bukele “will not be able to exercise the decision-making function such as the political and administrative leadership of the state apparatus, a monopoly on the use of state force,” as approved by Congress, dominated by the ruling party.

Nor will he be able to participate in the “law formation” processes, which will be the responsibility of his replacement. However, analysts believe that Bukele will direct the strings of power from the shadows.

“Only a naive person would believe that (Rodríguez de Guevara) is going to govern, he (Bukele) is not going to let go of power, he will be involved in reviewing what his ministers do. “That asking for a license is just a mere appearance,” political analyst Carlos Araujo told AFP.

“Bukele is not going to let anyone ruin what he has done and that is why he proposed her, she is part of his circle of dominance,” economist and analyst Julia Martínez told AFP.

In September 2021, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, through an interpretation of the Constitution, authorized Bukele to seek a new successive mandate, which generated controversy, since the Magna Carta did not allow re-election.

In Thursday’s session, several pro-government deputies spoke praising the achievements of Bukele, who is highly popular for the crusade against gangs that began 20 months ago, but there was also criticism from opponents.

“You cannot give a license for something unconstitutional,” said representative Claudia Ortiz, of the centrist Vamos party.

While the deputies debated, Bukele attended his last official act as acting president: the laying of the first stone of the future National Stadium on the outskirts of San Salvador, donated by China.

Its construction will take three years and cost 100 million dollars. Two weeks ago, Bukele inaugurated a modern library – which cost 54 million dollars – donated by China in the capital, another sign of the growing Chinese presence in Central America, which worries the United States.

With the ability to communicate ideas and a regular use of social networks, the 42-year-old president has broken traditional political patterns since he won the 2019 elections, ending the bipartisanship that had prevailed since the end of the civil war (1980-1992). .

Its popularity grew since March 2022 when it declared war against the gangs that maintained territorial control and financed themselves with extortion and hitmen, after which the country began to regain tranquility.

Protected by an emergency regime that allows arrests without a court order and criticized by human rights organizations, the government has imprisoned more than 73,000 suspected gang members, although some 7,000 innocent people were released, according to authorities.

“We have literally become from the most insecure country in the world to the safest country in Latin America,” Bukele boasted at the event in the future National Stadium.